The Jack Rabbit Trading Post is a convenience store and curio shop located on former

U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

, five miles west of

Joseph City, Arizona Joseph City (elevation 5,000 ft) is a Census Designated Place located in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. It is located on Interstate 40, approximately eighty miles east of Flagstaff and about thirty-five miles west of Petrified Fore ...

city limits off of Exit 269 on

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

Description

It was founded in 1949, on the site of either a

Santa Fe Railroad The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and ...

building or a former snake farm, depending on the source, and became famous for a series of billboards that stretched from Missouri to Arizona, each bearing the silhouette of a

jackrabbit Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The gen ...

and the distance from that sign to the trading post. In front of the store was another such billboard with "HERE IT IS" written underneath it. The billboards were part of a collaboration between the original owner, James Taylor, and Wayne Troutner, who owned the For Men Only store in

Winslow, Arizona Winslow ( nv, ) is a city in Navajo County, Arizona, Navajo County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population of the city is 9,655. It is approximately southeast of Flagstaff, Arizona, Flag ...

. With a large fiberglass jackrabbit that can be mounted (for pictures), the facility is considered a major Route 66 attraction. In the 2006 film ''Cars'', the trading post's "HERE IT IS" signage is depicted with a

Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...

Ford in place of the jackrabbit and "

Lizzie Lizzie or Lizzy is a nickname for Elizabeth or Elisabet, often given as an independent name in the United States, especially in the late 19th century. Lizzie can also be the shortened version of Lizeth, Lissette or Lizette. People * Elizabeth I ...

" (a 1923

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

) as the store's proprietor. The end credits included a thank you to Antonio and Cindy Jaquez, who have owned the trading post since 1995. On Route 66 in Staunton, Illinois, Henry's Rabbit Ranch uses very similar signage with the slogan "HARE IT IS."

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References

External links

* {{coord, 34.968283, -110.4304404, display=title Buildings and structures on U.S. Route 66 Retail buildings in Arizona Buildings and structures in Navajo County, Arizona Tourist attractions along U.S. Route 66 Tourist attractions in Navajo County, Arizona